Standing Meditation

Tim Wheater - Heartland

I wish to share a type of meditation that occurred while listening to this amazing piece of music. This cd has become very expensive. I was lucky to obtain it many year ago before it became a hot item. For almost a year, it was completely unavailable.

The story is about a Warrior who returns to Gentleness. There is a natural break that happens after about 7 minutes, which allows a re-emerging from that 'other' place. Otherwise, this song is 25 minutes long. It is hard for me to stand still for even 10 minutes, so the natural break is perfect for me.

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Begin in a candle-lit area (or glass fronted wood stove!). Standing with un-rigid, but aligned posture (or there-abouts), bring the hands to heart-center. Some call this praying hands. In Sanskrit, it is called Anjali Mudra. the word Anjali is about reverence and honour. Mudra means 'hand position'. It is believed to help balance the left-right brain connections, and induce a pre-meditative state.

With the music, any music that begins slow and gains momentum, or tells a story that moves your heart, begin to focus on your breathing.

Close your eyes. This is the beginning. ..... from here, you move as your heart and body wish, with exquisite slowness, noticing every sensation involved in the motions. My journey usually involves a slow raising of my Anjali hands upwards, with an equally slow opening that brings my arms outwards in a large embrace of the heavens (picture a V spread). Note: when the arms are spread wide, it is said to be physiologically impossible to feel depression. In Alaska, my partner-teacher worked with traumatized children, and this was a tool used to determine the depth of their despair. Those that could lift their arms could still feel joy. Those that could not lift their arms were deep into their trauma.)

With knees slightly, very slightly, bent for support, continue the slow-motion moves, swaying through the air, moving sensually. Swirl the air around you, cleansing the accumulated energies, casting off the broken and negative charges. Listen to the music, follow the trail of the rising and falling notes.

Slow, slow ... so very slow that you can learn to feel each and every contraction and release of tendons and muscles, the sliding sensation of those fibers along the living bones. Remember that within the living bones, our red blood cells and lymphocytes are produced, giving us life and our defense system ... our lymph system is analogous to our Inner Warriors, fighting invaders.

Always keep your feet where you planted them .... you are a Tree, swaying and dancing dreamily in a the warm embrace of Nature's breath.

Slow ... slow.

As you feel the music drawing to a close, flow into your original position, the Anjali Mudra, noticing the beat of your heart as your body engages in it's normal, postural sway. (The postural sway is more pronounced with the eyes closed. It is a continual negotiation with gravity, the pumping and pulsing of every part of our body as it exchanges gasses and fluids.)

Breath. Open your softened eyes and heart.

This is your Body, the gift you have been given to experience life in this physical realm. It is resilient and enduring. It will strive to do all that you ask of it, even if what you ask or demand cripples it.

Taking care of this gift becomes tangible evidence of your Gratitude. When you love your gift, when you empower it with nurture and compassion, then you can truly perform the work you are here to do, whatever that work may be.

with grace and gratitude,
^_^